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Guide to North Shields to help keep local economy in ship-shape condition

A new handy guide to North Shields has been produced to help keep the local economy in ‘ship-shape’ condition.

A new handy guide to North Shields has been produced to help keep the local economy in ‘ship-shape’ condition.

The North Shields Chamber of Trade and Commerce has joined forces with the Port of Tyne to make a visitor guide to North Shields aimed at ships crews visiting the Port of Tyne.

The guide will provide information to the crews of the growing number of cruise ships visiting the Port with 52 cruise calls expected this year, each with an average of 800 crew on board.

Both the Chamber and Port hope the guide will encourage more ships crews to visit different parts of North Shields, giving a boost to the local economy.

Miles Walton, Chair of the Chamber, said:

“This is a way of not only boosting the welfare of the crews, but also the shops, cafes, restaurants and other service providers who are spread across North Shields.

“Now tens of thousands more people this year will be aware of what the local area has to offer, and will hopefully be paying a visit to some of the fantastic places that we have on our doorstep.

“This initiative is a perfect example of what the Chamber tries to do – to provide a boost to its members but also to North Shields as a whole.”

The Chamber has represented business interests in the town for more than 100 years, and looks to encourage the development of trade across North Shields.

Their guide features a map of North Shields, details of areas including the Fish Quay, town centre, Royal Quays and Tynemouth, as well as local transport links.

With each ship docked for around 10-12 hours, crews who have the opportunity to visit the local area will be able to use the guide to help them make the most of their free time.

Port of Tyne Director of Health & Safety, Environment and Marine Harbour Master Steven Clapperton, said: “This is an opportunity for us to work together with the Chamber to improve the offering we have for the crews of visiting vessels.

“It also means we can hopefully help to increase trade for local businesses as there are so many crew members coming into port who want to get out to explore the local area.

“As a former Merchant Navy officer this is something close to my heart – and a positive opportunity to help improve the welfare of seafarers.”